Tag: wild

Where I Live Day 2010

has opened up once again and so I decided to post some photos for Where I Live Day. Below is what I submitted to the group.

Small towns don’t change much over a short span of time, but my own hometown has had a major change this summer. If you revisit my August 2007 post, you can see a nice photo of my school and current employer. But since that photo was taken, our school district has received a grant from the Ohio School Facilities Commission to have 66% of a new school paid for (the rest coming from our wonderful township taxpayers, myself included).

The original building was completed in 1923. A gymnasium and cafeteria were added in 1969 (and that’s when my lab was redesigned and furnished). And then in 1999, a new addition with second (larger) gymnasium, office space, and class rooms was added. We started school early this past year and were out by May 7th. The auction was May 8th, and the old building sealed off on May 10th. This summer, the original ’23 building and ’69 additions were demolished. They will become the parking lot for the new building, which was built during the school year and is nearly complete.

So the town looks a bit different. Instead of this, you now see this:


The empty place where the original school once stood.

To the side of the ’99 addition is the new building. Where the ’99 addition connected to the ’69 addition, they’re sealing it off and making it look nice. They’re also connecting it to the new building so students won’t have to go outside to change classes. The new building is a single story, which makes a change from the 3-story building we had originally. Although I’m sad to see the original building go, I’m excited about the new building. And I get a new lab! Woohoo!


The new building in progress.


My room in the new building is in the center of this photo. The two floor to ceiling windows are on either side of the room (a little Bobcat is in front of one of these windows). The big double window is for our chemical storage room. And the room on the end, beside the ’99 addition, will be biology/freshman science. (I teach chemistry and physics.)

If you want to see interior photos of the school, our superintendent has been taking many photos since the start of the project, and I’ve been putting them up on the school website. Check out the New Building Updates page if you want to see more.

Pretty much the rest of the town looks the same as my earlier entries, so I decided last week to get some photos from a nature preserve which is close to my town. Alas, you can’t get there by walking (and expect to get home in a timely fashion), but it’s a short drive (on Horseshoe Bend Road, which is aptly named!) Brukner Nature Center is a privately owned nature preserve which has a number of walking paths in the woods and some meadowland as well. A great place to take an afternoon walk on a slightly-cooler-than-today-was day.


A path!


A bridge!


Trees!


A squirrel!


A meadow!


Orange flowers!


Purple flower! (And insect.)

Maybe next time opens up again, I’ll redo the tour of the town to see what else has changed over time. (Or maybe I’ll do the neighboring “Big City,” where my parents moved to this last November. OK, elsaf & judiang, you two can stop laughing about the “big city.”)

My Walk to Work

is posting photos again this weekend, so I decided I’d crosspost the photos I submitted to that community. I decided to focus on the pretty autumnal colors I see when I walk to work every day.


Walking to Work
Walking to Work

Across the street from my neighbors are some nice trees in transition. You can also see the Brethren in Christ Church in this shot.
Baker's Auto Repair
Baker’s Auto Repair

This is the garage where I take my car when she needs her 3-monthly checkup. The brick building next to it is home of CD Solutions. Not entirely sure what they do.

Bootiful Trees
Bootiful Trees

Across from Baker’s is the UCC church. These trees and the brick house behind them are beside the church. Lovely view for my daily walk to work.
United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ

This church is on the National Registry of buildings. Built in the 1870s and still well maintained. One of many churches which I have attended. (The Brethren in Christ and the Church of the Brethren churches in town are also ones I’ve attended.)
Continuing My Walk
Continuing My Walk

After a pause at the corner where the UCC sits, I continue walking down the street, to turn at the corner ahead.
Crossing Main Street
Crossing Main Street

Looking North as I cross Main Street in town. Behind the very orange trees is Yet Another Church (number 4 in the series). (Although I took photos of the 5th church in town, I opted not to post it this time.)
Almost Done!
Almost Done!

This tree is almost done dumping it’s leaves for the season. I loved the contrast between the bright yellow & orange and the blue of the sky.
School in View
School in View

Just the last little bit until I reach the school. (You can see it’s red brick facade in the far right of the photo.) The playground is in front of the school where all of the trees are. The last photo will be of it.
Playground in Autumn
Playground in Autumn

Doesn’t this look like an inviting playground? The green playground equipment was just installed this summer and the kids love it. I’m surprised I managed to catch it when it wasn’t in use.


Small Town, OH

elsaf introduced me to the group wild_photos last year, but I never got around to publishing photos of my hometown in the Where I Live Day (WILD) community. But this year I was prepared. Two weeks ago, armed only with my trusty digital camera and a beautiful day, I took loads of photos of my town. So, come with me and take a walk around town.


Home
Home

Here’s my house & garage. Linus, my cat, can just barely be seen in the picture window looking out at me. I had hoped my lawn boy would have gotten to the shrubs by now, but he’s been too busy at his real job.
Gas Station
Gas Station

Here’s the local gas station, which is also the closest thing we have to a grocery now. The day I took the photo (2 weeks ago), gas was $2.75 a gallon. Today it’s 10 cents less.
The View into Town
The View into Town

Anyone driving up from the south will have this view of town. If you look carefully, you can see the monument. It’s the triangular gray thing in the center of the road.
Still in Town
Still in Town

Yes, this is another view from in the town. Although the barn itself is technically not in town, where I’m standing to take the photo is.
Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren

There are 5 churches in our very small town (3 on Church Street, oddly enough). I must not have gotten around to taking the photo of the one that’s on the National Registry of Buildings.
School!
School!

Here’s my alma mater and current employer. The windows in the bottom right are from my science lab.
Klopfer Building
Klopfer Building

This building used to house Klopfer’s Grocery, long since out of business. (Well, they were open when I was a kid.) Around the back right of the building is where the new pizza place is. It’s good food too – had lunch there today.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers

I’m still in town as I’m heading for the river. Beyond this corn field is the cemetery.
Bridge
Bridge

This bridge is outside of town and crosses the Stillwater River. When my sister and I were little (and the bridge was an old steel bridge) we’d ride our bikes here and play Pooh Sticks.
Stillwater River
Stillwater River

The Stillwater River – looking a bit low these days thanks to the drought-like conditions.
Cemetery
Cemetery

Back in town again to visit the cemetery.
Corn
Corn

Up close & personal with some corn. This is what you see if you’re looking away from the gravestones in the cemetery.
Grain Elevator
Grain Elevator

What town is complete without a grain elevator?
Graffiti
Graffiti

We even have our own graffiti in town (on the previously mentioned grain elevator). The “90” is from the class after mine in high school. Not sure if the graffiti is as well or not.
Sign
Sign

Now you know the name of the town… But I took this photo for the sign. How many places do you know of who advertise the medications they sell in their vending machines? I know of one!
The Beery School
The Beery School

This building used to house the Beery School of Horsemanship (The Only School Of Its Kind In The World). It was a correspondence school of horsemanship. Was very famous in the right circles. (I guess the circles that horses went around in.)
Monument
Monument

Ah, the town monument. It’s a Civil War soldier looking south to alert us if the South ever rises up again. Or something. Still, folks in the area might not know my town, but if you say “It’s the one with the monument in the center” folks go “Oh! I drove through there once!”